It's been a fantastic start for the Indiana Hoosiers under new head coach Mike Woodson. Indiana is 6-0 on the season with solid wins over St. John’s, Louisiana, and Marshall. However, tonight will be Indiana’s first road test as they head out to Syracuse to take on the Orange in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Syracuse is just 3-3 and looking to get back over .500 with a quality win over Indiana. The Orange have had a much more difficult schedule, but with losses to Colgate, VCU, and Auburn, things aren't looking great for Syracuse.
Last night, in the first two Big Ten/ACC Challenges, the Big Ten won outright. Will the same thing happen on Tuesday? Here are our free college basketball picks and predictions for Indiana vs. Syracuse.
Indiana vs Syracuse odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Indiana Hoosiers opened as a 1.5-point underdog on the road, but are currently favored by as many as 3.5 points at some outlets now.
The total has also shifted from 144.5 at open to 147.5 at the time of writing. Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
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Indiana vs Syracuse predictions
Predictions made on 11/30/2021 at 9:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Indiana vs Syracuse game info
• Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY
• Date: Tuesday, November 30, 2021
• Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN2
Indiana at Syracuse betting preview
Injuries
Indiana: Logan Duncomb C (Questionable), Trey Galloway G (Out), Rob Phinisee G (Questionable).
Syracuse: Bourama Sidibe C (Out).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Hoosiers are 3-0-1 against the spread in their last 4 games as a road favorite. Find more NCAA betting trends for Indiana vs. Syracuse.
Indiana vs Syracuse picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Hoosiers are shooting an effective field goal percentage of 56.2 percent and have turned the ball over 21 percent of the time. For teams that struggle with turnovers, playing against Syracuse’s zone isn’t always pretty. However, with Indiana shooting 36.8 percent from three and 56.7 percent from inside the arc, there’s potential for Indiana to score plenty of points with second-chance opportunities.
Trayce Jackson-Davis is still leading the charge for Indiana with 20.5 points per game on 66.2 percent shooting from the field. Race Thompson leads Indiana in rebounding with eight boards per game.
On the other hand, Syracuse has been more effective on the offensive end to start the season. The Orange are consistently scoring buckets with a 52.3 percent effective field goal percentage and a turnover rate of 17 percent on the year. They’re also shooting 38.1 percent from deep and 51.1 percent from inside the arc while capitalizing on free throw opportunities, knocking down 78.6 percent.
It's been Buddy Boeheim leading the way for Syracuse as he’s averaging 20 points per game on 40.2 percent from the field. Boeheim is one of the reasons why Syracuse has done so well at the line this year. However, Indiana is holding teams to a 36.3 percent effective field goal percentage, 25.9 percent from three, and 35.1 percent from inside the arc.
The Hoosiers have bought into Woodson’s defensive plan and, because of that, I like Indiana -2.5.
Prediction: Indiana -2.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
The number continues to rise since it opened at 144.5, and it’s now sitting at 147.5. At this point, it pays to take the under. Again, Indiana has featured of one the best defenses in the nation, holding opponents to a 36.3 percent effective field goal percentage.
Meanwhile, Syracuse has struggled to force turnovers. But for a team like Indiana that has already struggled to hold onto the ball, Syracuse's zone could play some tricks on the Hoosiers and earn a couple of steals.
Grab the under at 147.5.
Prediction: Under 147.5 (-110)
Best bet
I’ve been really impressed with Indiana to start the season. I know this will be the first real test for Indiana on the season, but the Hoosiers won all of the games they were supposed to and looked good doing it.
Indiana has bought into Woodson’s coaching and the defense is a reflection on that. Despite believing Indiana will have more turnovers, I still expect the Hoosiers will have the better offense and could get more second-chance opportunities off missed shots.
Therefore, I’ll stick with Indiana -2.5.
Pick: Indiana -2.5 (-110)
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